A date

The Capital City's West Market lay amid the sound of the evening drums.

It was a quarter to six, and the setting sun gleamed like molten gold.

Along the central street, jasmine fragrance from flower vendors' baskets mingled inseparably with the charcoal smoke of the blacksmith shops.

Jin Lingzhi walked ahead in a pale yellow outfit, the mutton-fat jade pendant at her waist swaying gently with her steps. This attire softened the martial bearing and noble splendor that made her resemble a young aristocrat, lending her instead a few more shades of feminine gentleness.

Fang Yunhua followed her in close-fitting black clothes. A folding fan had appeared in his hand at some point, and with his exceptionally handsome looks, he seemed more like an elegant scholar.

"Slow down. We already left late anyway." Fang Yunhua lightly tapped her shoulder with his folding fan, its four characters, "A gentle breeze approaches," catching the evening glow.

When Jin Lingzhi turned, the gold butterfly hair ornament nestled in her hair brushed his fan-holding wrist, startling the bronze bells beneath the teahouse eaves into a faint tremble.

Several young pupils holding books stole glances at the beautiful pair, only for their sharp-eyed schoolmaster to rap their foreheads with his ruler.

"Are you blaming me?!"

Jin Lingzhi felt rather aggrieved at the mention of it. Somehow, as she kept getting ready, it had become evening before she knew it.

Their rare three days together had barely begun, and she had already wasted more than half a day.

"What would I blame you for?" Fang Yunhua stepped closer and enclosed her entire soft hand in his palm. "We still have plenty of time. I'll be staying in the Capital City for a while, which means we'll have more than just three days together."

Jin Lingzhi said nothing more, merely tightening her grip around his broad, solid hand.

Then she pulled Fang Yunhua straight toward the Immortal Meeting Tower.

Remembering her fondness for the bottle, Fang Yunhua felt somewhat helpless. But he had already promised to keep her company these next few days, so he could only indulge her.

When they reached the private rooms on the second floor, a waiter was hanging freshly written wine placards on the carved window lattice.

After surveying the surroundings, Fang Yunhua instead led Jin Lingzhi back down to the first-floor hall. At this hour, it was already packed with people of the martial world, and a table had just happened to become available.

Jin Lingzhi did not care whether they sat upstairs or downstairs. She called over a waiter and expertly ordered several of the establishment's famous dishes, naturally remembering to ask for a whole jar of Daughter's Red. Then she began sneaking looks at Fang Yunhua.

His straight nose, deep eyes, and the faint smile that always lingered at the corners of his lips should have given him a gentle air, yet somehow he always seemed a little wicked.

Remembering last night's madness, she had to admit that he was a very bad man indeed!

Especially that strange little game.

Before she had even tasted the wine, her face was once again covered in a blush, while Fang Yunhua divided his attention between her and the conversations around them.

"Did the Thief Marshal really force his way into Mount Hua? Why do I find that so hard to believe?"

"What's so hard to believe? I think it makes perfect sense. Mount Hua is a major school in the martial world, after all. They must be rich. Just look at the Mount Hua Trading Company, the Mount Hua Escort Agency, the Mount Hua Pharmacy, the Mount Hua Blacksmith Shop...

"They have so, so many businesses. Compared with the other schools, I almost feel like Mount Hua specializes in doing business."

"Ah, that's where you don't understand. Mount Hua wasn't like this before. Just a few years ago, they were practically on the verge of dropping out of the Seven Great Schools. If they hadn't had a formidable figure like Master Kumei holding them up, Mount Hua might not even have been among the seven schools universally recognized ten years ago."

"I know about Master Kumei. There's certainly no questioning her abilities. But Mount Hua's most famous figure these days must be the Amorous Young Master, Young Hero Fang Yunhua, right? Isn't all the uproar these past two days about how he defeated Chu Liuxiang and stopped him from stealing their treasure?"

"That's not all! Last night, our Capital City's Young Master Jin hosted a banquet for a great many people. He publicly displayed the White Jade Beauty the Thief Marshal had stolen from him and declared that his good brother, the Amorous Young Master, had helped him get it back!"

"That's the only case so far, isn't it?"

"The only case of what?"

"The first time anything stolen by the Thief Marshal has ever been recovered. The Nine-Dragon Cup from the young marquis's residence was taken by him too. It's also one of the Capital City Four Treasures, and its whereabouts are still unknown."

"Then I'm starting to believe that this Amorous Young Master really has what it takes to beat Fragrant Marshal Chu. But isn't Fragrant Marshal Chu's greatest strength his lightness skill? I haven't heard that his martial arts are anything particularly remarkable."

"Brother! You must be new to the martial world. If you think Fragrant Marshal Chu is just a thief with decent lightness skills, your view is far too narrow. Five years ago, he broke the Water Snake Gang in a single night at Dongting. Seven years ago, he defeated the Blood-Robed Monk in the Gobi. Nine years ago, he unraveled the Painted-Skin Case in Jinling.

"The strongest expert involved in those affairs, Zen Master Withered Bones, was no weaker than the current leaders of the Seven Great Schools.

"Though rumor has it that Fragrant Marshal Chu's victory over him owed something to luck, he should at least be as strong as a venerable Shaolin elder or a Wudang guardian!"

"Then doesn't that mean the Amorous Young Master is that powerful too?"

"No. He might be even stronger!"

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

As sharp intakes of breath sounded throughout the hall, Fang Yunhua could not help feeling that the temperature around him had dropped several degrees. How refreshing!

Public opinion had not strayed too far off course so far. The main aim was still to lessen the influence of his old reputation as a womanizer and strengthen the impression, among the wider martial world, that he was a man of genuine ability.

Judging by the timing, both the news that he had become Mount Hua's junior sect leader and Hua Zhenzhen's relentless smear campaign against Nangong Ling should begin showing results within the next couple of days.

As the foremost city of the realm, the Capital City naturally ranked first in the circulation of news and information as well.

Most importantly, this would give him a little more leverage ahead of his upcoming meeting with the An Prince. Of course, what mattered even more was truly attracting the prince's attention.

He did not believe that the An Prince would condescend to meet a man of the martial world like him merely because he had an introduction from the powerful and influential Second Master Jin.

Fang Yunhua needed the representative the prince sent to carry at least some weight. If the prince casually dispatched some small fry, that would truly mean he was only going through the motions, and Fang Yunhua could hurry up and choose an alternative target.

Yet as Fang Yunhua sank into thought, he noticed a pair of deeply affectionate eyes gazing steadily at him.

Yes, it was Jin Lingzhi beside him, who had already begun savoring his face as an accompaniment to her wine.

She had also knocked back half of that entire jar of Daughter's Red.

"Come back to your senses!" Fang Yunhua waved a hand before her eyes.

Jin Lingzhi set down her wine cup with some displeasure.

"Hurry up and change back!"

"Change back?" Fang Yunhua pointed at himself in bewilderment. "Change into what?"

"The way you looked just now, when you were thinking. You looked a little wicked." Jin Lingzhi gave a guileless laugh. Whether from the wine or from staring so entranced at Fang Yunhua, her cheeks had grown even rosier, like a fully ripened honey peach.

"I think you're especially interesting when you look like that. You go wonderfully with wine!"

Jin Lingzhi was about to drink another cup, but this time Fang Yunhua stopped her.

"Let's go."

"Huh? We've barely eaten anything." Jin Lingzhi looked rather dazed. "I think you've only had three bites."

"It's fine. I still have a late-night snack." Fang Yunhua looked at Jin Lingzhi with a perfectly straight face.

Jin Lingzhi understood in an instant. She decisively set down her wine cup and began concentrating on the dishes spread across the table. After all, if she did not eat more now, she would be the one suffering when she ran out of strength later.

Besides, her repeated defeats on that other battlefield had left her thoroughly unconvinced!

She could still fight another hundred rounds!